St. Louis County Attorney Melanie Ford released today an Annual Report highlighting the work of the Office of St. Louis County Attorney in 2009. Reflecting on the year, County Attorney Ford stated , “2009 was a difficult year economically. I had to cut much of our expense budget at a time when we were preparing for a higher workload, as historically crime rises during recessions. As it turns out, referrals for charging adult felony and child protection cases did rise substantially, as did most other case types. The good news is that juvenile delinquency referrals declined. Through the work of dedicated staff we were able to provide sound legal advice and ensure fairness and justice to those involved in the court system in spite of many challenges. It is imperative that we continue our work on crime prevention through specialty courts, keeping children in school, and juvenile justice reform. All of these initiatives provide outcomes that are far less costly than incarceration and out-of-home placements. They also improve public safety.”

Highlights from the report:

• Drug cases rose. For juveniles, marijuana and illegal use of prescription drugs made up the majority of cases. For adults, we saw increased use of cocaine and illegal prescription drugs.
• We filed 22% more cases of child protection and termination of parental rights than 2008.
• Tax appeals filed by property owners tripled last year.
• Over 100 people from around the county are volunteering to help reform the juvenile justice system!